Water-level signal



Oct. 2, 1923. 1,469,518 r E. J. LEIGHTHAM WATER LEVEL 8 IGNAL Filed Aug. 11, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I. Zzvanr .Idwwfi LgQMgm Oct. 2 1923. 1,469,518

E. J. LEIGHTHAM WATER LEVEL SIGNAL Filed Aug. 11 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f/zvenz qr ldu/amtilifgwdm Patented Oct. 2, 1923.

UNITED STATES EDWARD J. LEIGHTHAM, OF CONSHOHOCKEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

WATER-LEVEL SIGNAL.

Application filed August 11,1920. Serial No. 402,932.

T all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD J. LEIGHT- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Conshohocken, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in WVate-r-Level Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in water levelsignals, and has for its object to provide an exceedingly simple and effective device of this description which may readily be applied to a water tank and when so applied will indicate at one or more stationsthe level of the water in the tank.

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set I? forth and then specifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which Fig. 1, is an elevation of my improved signal showing the diagram of the electrical wiring from the device to one or more stations.

Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the device 7 showing it applied to a water tank.

Fig. 3, is a detail view of the sliding contact mechanism by means of which the electric signals are transmitted.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, I provide a base board- 1 which may be of wood or any other suitable material which may be of any shape or design to suit the requirements. Upon this board are socured the journal brackets 2 in which is journalled the sprocket wheel shaft 3 the latter having secured thereon the sprocket wheel 4.

5 represents a sprocket chain adapted to run upon the sprocket wheel 4 said chain also running over the pulley 6 which latter is mounted in the bracket '7 secured to the back of the base board 1 through which latter is formed a suitable hole 8 for the passage of said chain; and when the base board 1 is properly placed and secured to the tank 9 one end of said chain passes downward within said tank and has suspended thereon the float 10. The opposite end of the sprocket chain has secured thereon a weight for drawing the chain 5 in the direction of the arrow when the float is raised by the rising of the water within the tank but this weig it 11 is not sufficiently heavy to prevent the float from drawing the chain in the opposite direction when the Water level in the tank is lowered, thus it will be seen that as the water level rises and falls within the tank the chain will be drawn-back and forth thereby revolving the sprocket wheel 4 in one direction or the other as the case may be. I

Upon the opposite end of the shaft 3 from the sprocket Wheel 4 is secured a pinion 12 which meshes with a gear wheel 13 the latter being secured upon the transmission shaft 14 the latter being mountedin the journal brackets 15 secured upon the base board. Upon this transmission shaft is also secured the pinion 16 which meshes with a rack bar 17 the latter being fitted to slide in the guide brackets 18, said brackets being secured upon the base board.

19 represents a sectional contact composed of a series of short plates spaced or insulated from each other and these plates are secured upon the base board and parallel and adjacent thereto is located the contact strip 20 also secured to the base board. A yoke 21 is secured to the rack bar 17 by the screw 22 and is insulated from said rack bar by the bushing 23. This yoke has formed therewith or secured thereto two sockets 24 in I which the rods 25 are fitted to slide and these rods are formed with or secured to the contact shoe 26 adapted to travel upon the sectional contact strip 19. In order that the shoe 26 may be held in firm contact with the sectional strip 19 I interpose coil springs 27 between the lower ends of the sockets 24 and said shoe; and if found desirable washers 28 may be interposed between the springs and the lower ends of the sockets as shown in the drawings.

One end of the yoke 21 carries a rod 29 upon which is fitted to slide the socket shoe 30, said shoe being adapted to travel upon the contact strip 20 and is held firmly thereagainst by the coil spring 31. Thus when the rack bar 17 is moved up or. down by the pinion 19 the shoes 26 and 30 will be caused to travel over the surface of their respective contact strips as will be readily understood. I

A and B represent two stations at which the signals produced by the movements of the float with the changing of the water level within the tank may be observed and while any number of such stations may be included in the circuits hereinafter de scribedthese two stations will fully illustrate the manner in which my device operates. Each of these stations consists of a bank of lamp sockets 31 for the reception of lamps 32 one terminal of each of said lamp sockets being connected by a wire 33 with one of the plates of the sectional contact strip 19; the opposite terminal of each lamp being connected by the wire 34 with the return wire 35 of the circuit and in case of two or more stations each bank of lamp sockets is connected in parallel the return wires of each bank being led back to the source or" current bya common return wire 36.

The direct wire 37 of the circuit after passing through the switch 38 and fuse blocks 39 is connected with the contact strip 20 so that a current flowing through the circuit will pass through this contact strip, the shoe 30, the yoke 21 and finally through the shoe 26 to one plate of the sectional contact strip 19 and from thence to the lamp or lamps which are connected with this particular strip as before described.

Fromthe foregoing description the operation of my improvement will be obviously as follows As the water rises in the tank the float 10 will move upward permitting the weight 11 to draw the outer end of the sprocket chain 5 downward and in so doing revolve the sprocket wheel 4 and also the chain of gearing above described moving the rack bar 17 upward. This upward movement of the rack bar will cause the shoes 26 and 30. to likewise travel upward the shoe 26 passing from one plate to another of the sectional contact strip 19 and in so doing cause the current to flow successively through the lamp connected with each strip thus signalling the height of the water within the tank since each plate of the sectional contact strip will represent a water level within certain limits.

When the contact shoe 26 moves from one plate to another of the sectional contact strip it will cause two of the adjacent lamps to be lit and this double lighting of the lamps will give a further indication of the level of the water within the,v tank so that an observer of the lamp will know within a few inches of the exact water level.

\Vhen the water level falls the float moving downward therewith will revolve the sprocket wheel 4 in a reverse direction causing the shoes 26 and 30 to travel downward lighting the lamps in sequence during this downward movement.

In practice when my improvement is applied to a water tank in factory or other large buildings a bank of signal lamps may be laced in the pump room and another ban of lamps may be laced in the superintendents office or at some other convenient point so as to serve as a check one upon the other thereby lessening the chances of the water being permitted to fall too low or rise too high without being detected.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is In a device of the character stated, a base board having an opening therethrough, a chain passing through said opening, a sprocket wheel on each side of said base board over which said chain runs, a float on one end of said chain, a counterbalance weight on the opposite end thereof, a set of contacts, a rack bar associated with said contacts, a contact shoe carried by the rack bar for coaction with the aforementioned contacts,-a rack pinion meshing with the rack bar, and a train of gears for transmitting motion from one of the sprocket wheels to the rack pinion as the chain is-moved due to the rise and fall of the float.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

EDWARD J. LEIGHTHAM. 

